this post was submitted on 14 Aug 2025
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2/3s of Americans live paycheck to paycheck and americans consume multiple X what even wealthy Europeans do.
The issue is that people are unhappy then they try to fill that void with buying stupid shit no one needs, going for fancy cars to match their neighbors, oversized houses they don't need and can't afford.
Ofc there are other systemic issues like the racist origins having single family house zoning and lack of public transport which is the most reliable predictor of social mobility.
But still, people make dumb choices, spend recklessly.
Still, in our world and with the available knowledge and technical possibilities it's so easy to manipulate the masses. Blaming individuals for any structural problems and systemic issues is shifting the blame from the real culprits to the comparatively weak individuals whose main fault is looking for an uncomplicated life in a increasingly complex world.
Why not instead blame a system that is fixed on exploiting any and all resources possible (incl. bodily and mental health} to make more money every year (myth of endless growth) or at least greedy companies misusing their influence.
For my part I don't believe in capitalism, but I think some effective regulation especially of multinational companies might also do the trick, as long as the concentration of money is reduced.